Travel Tips

Transportation

Civil Aviation
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) provides safe and quality service. A network of 750 domestic airlines is in operation in China, reaching 136 cities across the country with Beijing in the center. There are also 100 international airlines and 21 regional airlines, radiating to 58 cities of 39 countries. The aircraft in service are a modern fleet, and all the major airports are equipped with the world's quality facilities, providing safe and excellent services.

Land Transport

1. Railways
   China’s extensive railway network contains domestic and international operations. Domestic services fall into such categories as quasi-high speed trains, fast trains, traveling trains, expresses, and non-stop express trains. Quasi-high speed trains run mainly from Guangzhou to Kowloon and from Guangzhou to Shenzhen. Tourist trains shuttle between major tourist cities. The sleeping carriages running on China's railways are partitioned into compartments, each containing 4 cushioned berths arranged in upper and lower levels.
   
   International railway through transport is available on the following routes: Beijing -- Ulaan Baatar -- Moscow Beijing -- Manzhouli -- Moscow; Beijing -- Pyongyang; Urumqi -- Alma Ata; Beijing -- Hanoi; Beijing -- Ulaan Baatar. On these routes, express passenger trains run in opposite directions. Just to remind European passengers: it takes 6 to 7 days for an express train to reach Beijing from Moscow by way of Ulaan Baatar or Manzhou-li. Valid passports and certificates for Hong Kong and Macao compatriots returning to the mainland are requested when purchasing tickets for Beijing-Kowloon and Shanghai-Kowloon through passenger trains. When a ticket is bought in China, the fare is calculated in Hong Kong dollars but paid in Renminbi.
   
2. Highways
   China has built a total of 1.18 million kilometers of highways, which include 70--odd state highways and 1,600 plus provincial highways. Bus passenger service is excellent on China's expressways, featuring frequent dispatches of high-grade, fast-running vehicles, and simplified check-ins. Buses generally run at an average speed of 100 kilometers per hour and are dispatched in a streamlined fashion.
   
3. Getting around in a City
   The taxi is a convenient means of transportation in large and mediumsized tourist cities in China, with fares ranging from 1 to 2 yuan per kilometer with a minimum charge around 10 yuan, which may vary a bit from city to city. Simply raise your hand, and the taxi, when empty, will stop immediately in tourist cities. Riding old-fashioned pedicabs through Beijing's hutongs and back alleys is a fascinating tourist experience.
   
4. Waterways
   China's vast maritime territory encompasses the Bohai, Yellow and East China seas in the east and the South China Sea in the south. While the Bohai Sea nestles in the arms of the mainland, the Yellow, East China and South China seas are linked with the Pacific Ocean. The country's long and winding coastline is clustered with extensive and deep harbors such as those in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Dalian, Yantai, Qinhuangdao, Beihai, and Hong Kong.
   
   Maritime Shipping Lines
   The new Jianzhen, a luxury passenger and cargo liner operated by the Sino-Japanese International Ferry Company, sails once a week from Shanghai to Japan's Kobe, Osaka and Yokohama, and a one-way trip along the route takes about 45 hours. The Yanjing is a passenger liner run by the Jinshen Steamboat Company, which shuttles once a week between Tianjin and Kobe. The Daren passenger and cargo liner owned by the Dalian Daren Steamboat Company. sails twice a week between Dalian and Inchon in South Korea, with a one-way trip taking 15 hours. Operated by the Weihaiwei Eastern Shipping Company. the two luxury passenger liners, Xinjinqiao and Xiangxuelan, sail three times a week from Weihai and Qingdao respectively to Inchon, with a one way trip lasting for 14 hours.
   
   Domestic Ocean Liners
   China's port cities are covered by a labyrinth of maritime shipping lines. The most important of these are the Shanghai -- Dalian, Dalian - Tianjin, Dalian- Yantai, Shanghai -- Qingdao, Shanghai -- Guangzhou, Beihai - Guangzhou, Shenzhen -- Zhuhai, and Zhuhai -- Hong Kong lines. Tracing these well-arranged domestic maritime shipping lines are many luxury pleasure boats and passenger liners.
   
   Inland Waterways
   The mainland of China is crisscrossed by a total of 226,800 kilometers of rivers, including 136,000 kilometers of inland waterways. The Shanghai Chongqing line along the Yangtze River extends for 2,399 kilometers. On a given day, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River are being plied by more than 50 luxury tourist boats.

Tourist Hotels

Tourist hotels in China have come a long way in the last few decades. A bout 4,000 hotels, which accommodate tourists from foreign countries, are star-rated, from five-star hotels down to one-star hotels. All the star-rated hotels have internationalized their services.

Travel Serices

Travel services in China fall into two categories, international and domestic. The international tourist services organize China tours for travelers from overseas, tours of foreign countries for Chinese citizens and domestic tourist operations. Of all the travel services scattered throughout China, more than 1,000 are allowed to receive tourists from overseas. National tourist services, such as the China International Travel Service, the China Travel Service, the China Youth Travel Service, and the China Kanghui Travel Service, have branch offices in various localities and major tourist destinations.

Catering

As a resplendent part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese people, Chinese cuisine with its long-standing tradition is regarded as one of the world's three major culinary schools along with French and Turkish haute cuisine. In the course of historical development, Chinese cuisine has developed a dazzling array of cooking skills (please refer to the chapter for Chinese Cuisine).

Local cuisine from Shandong, Sichuan, Yangzhou, Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Zhejiang, Anhui, Beijing, and Shanghai form the ten dominant schools of cooking in China. To mention a few, the Guangdong school of cooking, which came about by incorporating the fine elements of miscellaneous culinary styles, is known and appreciated for its extensive range of choice of materials. Freshwater and seafood are its forte, but it is dishes made of fowls and snakes that make Guangdong cuisine so special and exotic. The Shandong school of cooking is characterized by wide and meticulous choice of ingredients. Full-bodied flavor and gourmet quality are of the utmost importance. High-calorie and high-protein dishes are the forte of Shandong chefs, who have a special way of making soups. Pungency, to the degree of numbness, is a salient feature of Sichuan dishes. As the saying goes, "While China is an Epicurean paradise, Sichuan is the place to be for those hunting for the most delectable and exquisite of dishes. " Indeed, Sichuan dishes are prepared from a good variety of choice ingredients, and, seasoned in a hundred and one ways, come in diverse flavor. As a crystallization of the culinary styles of such cities as Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and Huai'an, Huaiyang cooking is representative of all culinary schools in Jiangsu Province. The Huaiyang cuisine is known for the tenderness and freshness of the materials with delicate tastes, and the fastidious way in which the chefs prepare them.

Local snacks to tempt the palate with a certain kind of refreshment during a journey is one of life's good enjoyments. China offers a baffling array of snacks and refreshments prepared in different culinary styles, ready to serve in restaurants, eateries, and roadside food stalls. They come in a good variety of flavors and balanced nutritious value. In the south, the snacks and refreshments are mostly prepared of rice, while in the north wheat products dominate. Sweet cakes are among the most important refreshments in Beijing; while m Guangdong, refreshments are prepared mostly in a Western style. In Suzhou, snacks served on board pleasure boats are the most famous.

Entertainments

The hospitable Chinese people provide a good variety of cultural and recreational activities for their visitors. These include traditional Chinese operas (Beijing, Shaoxing, Sichuan, Henan, and Shaanxi operas), world-renowned acrobatic shows, typical Chinese music and dances, and traditional festivals of the country's 56 ethnic peoples. Visitors to China may also personally experience the varied folklore in different parts of the country. In their hotel rooms, guests can watch English news programs on Central Television and some local channels, as well as foreign TV programs transmitted through satellites. Closed-circuit television is also available in many hotels, which are equipped with such amenities as music bars, teahouses, bowling alleys, electronic games, cinemas, gyms, sauna baths, massage parlors, swimming pools and dancing halls.

Shopping for Souvenirs

Shopping in China is getting more and more convenient. The large department stores and shopping malls are available in each city of the country. Western retail companies have established outlets in major cities in China, which carry both domestic and imported goods. For those who want to shop for souvenirs to take home, they can look around in large department stores and shopping malls and in some of the open markets such as the Xiushui Street and Panjiayuan Antique Market in Beijing. Unlike large department stores where the prices are fixed, these places are where you can bargain. Your local tour guides or hosts are the best help when you go to these places. They will prove essential in finding the real stuff and bringing the prices down. In some stores, some salespeople can speak English. Stores designated by the Chinese tourist authorities are reliable places where prices match the quality of goods on sale.

Silk China is known as the "Kingdom of Silk". Jiangsu, Guangdong, Hunan and Sichuan Provinces abound in natural silk and products made of it. Most distinguished, however, are silk products made in Hangzhou, where they come in a dozen varieties such as pongee, brocade, damask, faille, and satin.

Embroideries/Brocades The most famous Chinese silk products include the cloudy-patterned embroidery of Nanjing, Song-style satins of Suzhou, Shu style embroidery of Sichuan, as well as embroideries of such ethnic minorities as Zhuang, Dai, Li, Dong and Tujia.

Calligraphy/Painting Calligraphy and painting are an epitome of traditional Chinese culture.

Traditional Medicine Traditional Chinese medicine is a school of its own. Numerous herbal and other drugs are being used for their high curative efficacy, and those with a high tonic value are favorites with the Chinese.

Carving/Sculptures Traditional Chinese carving and sculpture are based on every material imaginable: jade, stone, wood, bamboo, black amber, crystals, tree roots, shells, and so on. In this typical Chinese school of art, likeliness of imagery is ingeniously integrated with expressiveness and spiritual resonance.

Cloisonne Filigree enamel work is the most famous of all traditional Chinese metal arts and crafts. This involves an enameling technique, consisting of soldering delicate metal strips bent to the outline of a design to a copper surface, and filling the resulting cellular spaces with vitreous enamel paste before the object is fired, ground smooth and finely polished.

" Four Treasures of the Study" Traditional Chinese stationary consists of the "Four Treasures of the Study", namely, writing brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper. Through the ages, the Chinese have developed unique techniques for the making of these "treasures", resulting in countless products of superb quality and distinct style. Among the more famous products are Xuan paper produced in Xuancheng County, Anhui Province; Huizhou-style ink sticks in Shexian County, Anhui Province; Hu writing brushes in Huzhou, Zhejiang.

Province; and Duan inkstone produced in Zhaoqing of Guangdong. Famous inkslabs include those made in Shandong and by the Taohe River of Gansu, and those fashioned out of baked clay and Helan stone.

Tea China is one of the world's earliest tea-producing countries. The Chinese tea is renowned throughout the entire world. Processed in different fashions, it falls into such categories as red tea, green tea, jasmine tea, and oolong tea. Among the famous brands of Chinese tea are "Longjing" of Hang zhou, "Biluochun" of the Dongting Lake, "Maojian" of Mount Huangshan, "Qihong" of Anhui, "Yihong" of Hubei, Jasmine tea of Beijing, and "Tieguanyin" of Fujian. The Chinese take great delight in nursing a cup of tea while chatting with loved ones or friends.

Beverage China is one of the world's earliest winemaking countries. There is an impressive array of Chinese beverages, such as spirits, rice wine, wine, fruit wine, beer, and cocktails. Famous Chinese alcoholic beverages include Moutai, Fen Jiu, Wu Liang Ye, Gu Jing Gong Jiu, Yang He Da Qu, Jian Nan Chun; Chinese Red Wine, Vermouth, Qingdao White Wine, Special Fine Brandy, Beijing Special Brandy; Luzhou Old Cellar Te Qu, Shaoxing Jiafan Wine, Zhu Ye Qing, Qingdao Beer. Yantai Red Wine, and Chen Gang Jiu of Fujian.

Getting a Visa

As a foreign visitor traveling to China, you should apply for an entry visa with the Chinese embassy or consulate or a diplomatic mission empowered by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country of residence. In the event of a group tour of upwards of five persons, an application for group tourist visas is made through the travel agency responsible for such a tour.

If you are from a country which has concluded a visa agreement to the Chinese government, you may have your visa formalities handled according to such an agreement (such as mutual exemption of visas for tourist groups).

If you want to go to Tibet for a visit you can apply for a visa only with the consent of the Tourism Administration of the Tibet Autonomous Region or any one of its foreign representative offices.

Foreigners requesting to visit the special economic zones of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Xiamen may apply directly with the visa authorities in these zones for "tourist visas to special economic zones". Those going to Hainan Province for business, travel or visiting relatives for no more than fifteen days may apply for entry visas at Haikou or Sanya upon their arrival. Foreign tourist groups from Hong Kong on a 72-hour visit to the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone are exempt from entry visas.

If you want to travel in China with your own vehicle: bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, boat or aircraft, you should apply for approval beforehand. If you want to continue your travel in China after the approved term of your stay expires, you should apply to the local public security bureau for extending your stay.

Clearing Customs

Entry: Tourists must fill out a baggage declaration form (in 2 copies) and hand it in to customs, retaining the carbon to show upon exit.

Personal belongings will be admitted duty free, including food, two bottles of liquor and two cartons of cigarettes. Wristwatches, radios, tape recorders, cameras, movie cameras, and similar items may be brought in for personal use but cannot be sold or transferred to others and must be taken out of China.

Gifts for relatives or friends in China, or articles carried on behalf of others, must also be declared.

Visitors can bring in an unlimited amount of foreign currency and Chinese renminbi traveler's checks, and the unspent portion can be taken out.

Bringing or taking the following articles is prohibited:

1. Arms, ammunitions, and explosives of all kinds;
   
2. Radio transmitters, receivers and principal parts;
   
3. Renminbi (Chinese currency) in cash (Negotiable securities in RMB cannot be taken out);
   
4. Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and videotapes, ere. which are detrimental to China's politics, economy, culture, and ethics;
   
5. Poisonous drugs, habit-forming drugs, opium, morphine, and heroin, etc.
   
6. Animals, plant and products thereof infected with or carrying germs and insect pests;
   
7. Unsanitary foodstuffs and germ-carrying foodstuffs from infected are as;
   
8. Other articles the import of which is prohibited by state regulations, such as :
   1) Rare and precious copies of books about Chinese revolution, history, culture and art that are not for sale;
   2) Valuable animals, plants, and seeds;
   3) Precious metals, pearls, and jewels (things declared to the customs tire exempted).
   On leaving China, tourists must again submit the baggage declaration form for customs inspection (the second copy). Travelers by ship are exempted.
   Items purchased in China with RMB converted from foreign currencies may be taken out or mailed out of the country after receipts are presented for customs inspection. In cities where a Customs Office does not exit, this can be arranged through the local Friendship Store.

Quanrantine Service

Those who carry special articles, such as microorganisms, human body tissues, biological products, and blood and its products, should declare to a quarantine department, and subject these articles to quarantine inspections. Passengers from yellow fever-infested areas should, when entering China, display to the quarantine department effective certificates showing that they have been inoculated against yellow fever. People who do not have such a valid certificate shall be retained for observation for six days beginning from the day they left the infested area, or they shall be inoculated and retained until the certificate comes into effect. It is the task of the Chinese quarantine authorities to prevent foreigners suffering from AIDS, venereal diseases, leprosy, mental diseases and open tuberculosis from entering China.

Chinese Currency

The Chinese currency is renminbi, which is issued by the state bank, the People's Bank of China. The standard unit of the renminbi is yuan, with jiao and fen as subsidiary units. One yuan equals ten jiao, and one jiao equals ten fen. Yuan, jiao and fen are issued in both notes and coins. The renminbi features the following denominations: one, two and five fen; one, two, five jiao; one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, and one hundred yuan. The abbreviation for renminbi is RMB.

Foreign Currency Conversion

The circulation of foreign currencies, and the setting of accounts with foreign currencies, is banned in the People's Republic of China. Foreigners who have entered China will have to pay for their expenses in renminbi. The following foreign currencies can be converted into renminbi in China: US dollar, British pound sterling, Deutsche mark, Japanese yen, Australian yuan, Austrian schilling, Franc Beige, Canadian dollar, Swiss franc, Danish krone, Dutch guilder, Norwegian krone, Swedish krone, Singapore dollar, Malaysian ringgit, Italian lira, and Finnish markka. Some hotels, restaurants and stores in China also handle the conversion of foreign currencies at exchange rates on a daily basis. A foreign traveler may have his surplus amount of renminbi converted back into foreign currency and take it out of China within a grace period of six months prior to departure from China, but in doing so he has to display a foreign currency conversion receipt.

Credit Cards

The following foreign credit cards are acceptable in China: Master; Visa; American Express; JCB and Diners Club. Card-holders may draw cash at the Bank of China or conversion centers designated by the Bank of China, or use their cards to pay for their expenses at department stores, restaurants and hotels where credit cards are acceptable.

Traveler's Checks

For the convenience of travelers in China, the Bank of China cashes traveler's checks sold by international commercial banks and traveler's check companies in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Britain, France, Switzerland, German and other countries and regions. The Bank of China also acts as a sales agency for traveler's checks issued by American Express, and the National Bank of New York.

Postal Service

Apart from post in cities, mailing service is also available in some hotels. When mailing a letter, you should make sure to use a standard envelop. fill in the postal code, and attach enough stamps. Express mail service is available in most of the post offices and express mailing companies.

Useful Phone Number

• 0086 in China’s international code;
• 110- Police
• 112-Inner-city telephone mishaps
• 113- Operator of domestic long-distance calls
• 114- Information on domestic calls
• 119- Fire
• 120- Ambulance;
• 121- Weather forecasts. (Effective all over China)

Voltage

The voltage in China is 220 volts

Water

The tap water is drinkable only a limited number of luxury hotels. Therefore, you should make sure to ask a hotel manager if the tap water is drinkable. All the guest rooms in Chinese hotels are equipped with thermos bottles filled with water. Bottled mineral water is popular in China nowadays.

Emergency Medical Service

The clinics in large hotels and restaurants offer medical and first-aid services to travelers. If you feel uncomfortable while on a tour, you may call the outpatient department of a local hotel, or ask your guide to take you to see the doctor.

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